Automobile air cleaner



Sept. l1, 1928. 1,684,023

c. G. HAwLl-:Y

AUTOMOB ILE AIR CLEANER Filed May 4, 1925 Patented Sept'. 11, 1928i STATES l A 1,684,023 PATENT orrlcs.A

CHARLES GILBERT HA'WLEY, OF'CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOB T0 CENTRIFIX COR- IPORATION, F CLEVELAND, OHIO, A CORPORATION 0F OHIO.

AUTOMOBILE AIR CLEANER.

Application mea May 4, 1925. seriar No. 27,855.

My invention relates to means for clean ing the air that is drawn into the carburetor of internal combustion engines, more particularly automotive engines.

The object of the invention is to overcome these diiiiculties and to provide a compact, simple, relatively cheap. and very eliicient air cleaner for automotive engines, and in particular, an air cleaner which shall rst Io reliably collect and separate the dust and then automatically eject it so that the device may operate for an indefinite period without care or special attention.

rllhe invention will be readily understood l5 on reference to the drawings that form part of this specification; and in which Fig. l is a side elevation ofan automotive engine equipped with an air cleaner embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical sec 2o tion of the air cleaner proper; Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a horizontal section on the line 4 4 of Fig. 2; Fig. 5 illustrates a modified form which may be adopted, on the line 4 4 ze of Fig. 2; and Figs. 6 and 7 show that the air cleaner may be used in inverted and in horizontal positions. I

Referring to the drawing, the block 1 represents the internal combustion engine of :en which 2 is the manifold and 3 a typical carburetor. At the intake 4 of the carburetor, wherever positioned, is the air cleaner a about to be described in detail. A water cooling radiator appears at 5, and 6 represents the engine cooling fan. The part I) represents a small air pressure pipe connected with the cleaner a and leading from an air blast receiving cone b behind the fan. The device a is a centrifugal separator which m stands at the entrance of the carburetor.-

To reach the carburetor the air must pass through it, and in passing through it the air is caused to whirl rapidly in a plane that is transverse to the axis upon which the air i5 enters the carburetor. In consequence of the whirling motion the dust is centrifugally separated. Next, the separated dust is whirled forward and expansively ejected into a groove or race a. Whirling therein M? the dust ies outward and is ejected through aiftangential discharge nozzle a at the periphery of the groove a. The pipe b enters directly opposite the discharge opening or nozzle a and the small blast of air received through-the cone at the front end of the pipe b by its force -so augments the centrifugal force of the dust particles as to successfully and continuously eject the latter from the nozzle a. Y

Interesting details of the construction comprise the annular member a2 which contains the expansion groove a. The smaller opening a3 in `the member a fits and registers with the intake of the carburetor, whatever its form. The larger opening a4 in the member a receives the open end of the tangential tuyre ring a5. The latter is characterized by a plurality of narrow slit-like tangential tuyres a formed between the tangential blades a7. The end of the tuyre ring may be secured to the member a by any suitable means as by brazing it thereto. The opposite end of the tuyre ring a5 is closed by a plug or disk a8, so that the tangential tuyres a6 are the only openings through which the air may pass. Lest a drop of pressure be suffered it is characteristic of my invention that the aggregate area of the tuyres a? equals, and indeed considerably exceeds, the area of the outlet opening a3. It is further characteristic that the whirling velocity attained with a tuyre area very much in excess of the opening a3 is fully adequate to the accomplishment of the described centrifugal separation.

It will at once be noted that the air cleaner of my invention is extremely small and compact, of very light Weight, and generally avoids the objections to the air cleaning devices and apparatus hitherto devised.

The more direct the impact of the column of expelling air from the passage ZJ the better will be the automatic ejection of the dust through the nozzle a. An improvement\in this regard may be accomplished by offsettingl the drill by which the aligned passages b and a are made. By offsetting the same as illustrated in Fig. 5 the gap or opening a9 into the side of the groove a may be shortened. Obviously, an ample open- I ing remains for the discharge of, the dust from the race or groove a and yet the ends of the passages b* and a* are brought so close together that the swiftly moving column of air drawn in at bx immediately impacts and thrusts against the end of the column in the passage ax and markedly expedites the ejech tion of the latter.

It will at once be apparent that the herein described cross-shot method of expedting and accomplishing the peripheral discharge or eject of a centrifugal separator is not limited to operation by pressure air derived from a fan 6, but lends itself to operation by any pressure fluid.

The centrifugal force developed within the centrifugal separator is so great that it can almost be relied upon to automatically eject the heavier substances. The augmenting forces that need be delivered through the cross-shot passage or Z1* is so slight that only a ver low pressure of air or .gas need be maintalned at the intake cnd of the cross-shot?? passage.

It goes without saying that this air cleaner is adapted for attachment to the intakesof air compressors, small blowers, and the like; wherever it is desirable to clean the intake alf.

Having thus described my invention I .claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent l. An' air cleaner for internal combustion automotive engines, and the like, comprising a centrifugal dust separator for associaltion with the engine intake, and having at one end a tangential peripheral dust outlet, in combination with means for maintaining an auxiliary movement of an ejector fluid `first into said end of the separator and thence into said outlet and in the direction Oof the dust discharge. j

2. An air cleaner for internal combustion automotive engines and the like, comprising a multiple tangentially tuyered barrel in combination With a closure at' one end of said barrel, a partial closure at the other end of said barrel, said partial closure containing the outlet opening, and peripheral race, said race having a tangential dust discharge opening at one side and an eject pressure nozzle entering said race in substantial alignment With said dust discharge openlng.

3. An air cleaner for internal combustion automotive engines and the like, comprising a multiple tangentially Ltuyered barrel in combination with a closure at one ,end of said barrel, a partial closure at the other end of said barrel, said partial closure containing the outlet opening, and a peripheral race, said race having a tangential dust discharge opening at one side and an eject pressure nozzle entering said race in substantial alignment Witli said dust discharge opening, and means for supplying a'pressure fluid to said nozzle.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 30th day of Aprll, A. D.

' CHARLES GILBERT HAWLEY. 

